Fair Exchange (TV series)

Fair Exchange is an American television sitcom that ran from September 21, 1962 to December 28, 1962 and from March 28, 1963 to September 19, 1963 on CBS.[1] It starred Judy Carne.[2][3]

Fair Exchange
GenreSitcom
Created byCy Howard
Written byTom Adair
James B. Allardice
William P. Templeton
StarringEddie Foy Jr.
Victor Maddern
Lynn Loring
Judy Carne
Flip Mark
Dennis Waterman
Diana Chesney
Theme music composerCyril J. Mockridge
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes27
Production
Executive producerCy Howard
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time45–48 minutes
(Season 1)
22–24 minutes
(Season 2)
Production companiesCy Howard Productions
Desilu Productions
Original release
NetworkCBS
ReleaseSeptember 21, 1962 (1962-09-21) –
September 19, 1963 (1963-09-19)

Premise

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Eddie Walker and Thomas Finch[1] were World War II veterans and old friends who decided to have their teenage daughters live in each other's households for a year because Eddie's daughter Patty wanted to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London.

While Patty lived in London with Tommy, his wife Sybil, and their son Neville, Tommy's daughter Heather lived with Eddie, his wife Dorothy, and their son, Tommy, in New York City.

The show focused on the joys and the difficulties that Heather and Patty experienced as they lived in each other's families.

Heather had troubles in trying to deal with a less formality ridden way of life in New York City and in the States, while Patty was trying to deal with the more formal and more tradition-emphasized way of life in London.

The fathers had their own share of difficulties in trying to help the daughters to adjust, while Dorothy and Sybil, while also having to adjust with different girls living in their households, were able to take it more in stride.

Cast

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Episodes

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Season 1 (1962)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
11"Pilot"UnknownWilliam TempletonSeptember 21, 1962 (1962-09-21)
22"Unfair Exchange"UnknownWilliam TempletonSeptember 28, 1962 (1962-09-28)
33"Is There a Doctor in the House?"UnknownUnknownOctober 5, 1962 (1962-10-05)
44"Neville's Problem"UnknownUnknownOctober 12, 1962 (1962-10-12)
55"To Each His Own"UnknownUnknownOctober 19, 1962 (1962-10-19)
66"A Little Success"UnknownUnknownOctober 26, 1962 (1962-10-26)
77"No More Transatlantic Calls"UnknownUnknownNovember 2, 1962 (1962-11-02)
88"Lieutenant's Paradise"UnknownUnknownNovember 9, 1962 (1962-11-09)
99"Nothing Ventured"UnknownUnknownNovember 16, 1962 (1962-11-16)
1010"Dorothy's Trip to Europe"UnknownUnknownNovember 23, 1962 (1962-11-23)
1111"A Young Man's Fancy"UnknownUnknownNovember 30, 1962 (1962-11-30)
1212"Yankee Doodle Dandy"UnknownUnknownDecember 7, 1962 (1962-12-07)
1313"Honor Thy Foster Father"UnknownUnknownDecember 14, 1962 (1962-12-14)
1414"Twas the Fortnight Before Christmas"UnknownUnknownDecember 21, 1962 (1962-12-21)
1515"Innocents Abroad"UnknownUnknownDecember 28, 1962 (1962-12-28)

Season 2 (1963)

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No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
161"My Son, the Lawyer"UnknownUnknownMarch 28, 1963 (1963-03-28)
172"Character Building"UnknownUnknownApril 4, 1963 (1963-04-04)
183"How You Gonna Get 'em Back on the Farm?"E.W. Swackhamer/Sherman MarksJames Allardice & Tom AdairApril 11, 1963 (1963-04-11)
194"You Don't Have to Polish a Subway"UnknownUnknownApril 18, 1963 (1963-04-18)
205"A Woman's Place"UnknownUnknownApril 25, 1963 (1963-04-25)
216"The Jinx"UnknownUnknownMay 2, 1963 (1963-05-02)
227"My Fair Scot"UnknownUnknownMay 9, 1963 (1963-05-09)
238"A Mess of Porridge"UnknownUnknownMay 16, 1963 (1963-05-16)
249TBATBDTBD1963 (1963)
2510"Never Trust a Banjo Player"TBDTBD1963 (1963)
2611"Neville, the Pearlie"TBDTBD1963 (1963)
2712"Weddings Are for Parents"TBDTBD1963 (1963)

Production

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Fair Exchange replaced Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.[4] The series was "an unusual experiment in full-hour comedy",[5] and "television's first one-hour situation comedy".[6] Early reviews of the program were favorable, but its ratings were not good.[6]

Some sources say that after mail protested CBS's decision to cancel the show, the network revived Fair Exchange in a half-hour format,[5] but CBS announced on November 30, 1962, that the program would return in the shorter format. The network had already "agreed to film 13 half-hour episodes for showing next spring."[6]

Again the series failed in the ratings and was finally cancelled.[5] The Twilight Zone would replace Fair Exchange mid-season, albeit in an hour-long format.[citation needed] Preliminary plans had called for The Alfred Hitchcock Hour to replace it.[6]

Episodes were filmed in Hollywood and in England.[1] The 1962 episodes were broadcast 9:30-10:30 p.m. Eastern Time on Fridays. The 1963 episodes were broadcast 7:30-8 p.m. ET on Thursdays.[5] Competing shows in 1962 included 77 Sunset Strip on ABC and Don't Call Me Charlie! and The Jack Paar Show on NBC. In 1963, the competition included The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and Wide Country on NBC.[7]

Cy Howard was the executive producer, and Ed Feldman was the producer. Jerry Thorpe was the director.[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 270. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ "Judy Carne, Laugh-In's 'Sock It to Me!' Girl, Dead at 76". 8 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015.
  3. ^ Film Fatales: Women in Espionage Films and Television, 1962-1973. McFarland. 10 April 2002. ISBN 9780786411948.
  4. ^ Presnell, Don; McGee, Marty (July 11, 2015). A Critical History of Television's The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964. McFarland. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-4766-1038-2. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c d Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 323. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  6. ^ a b c d Adams, Val (November 30, 1962). "Hour TV Comedy Cut to Half-Hour: C.B.S. to Cancel and Then Renew 'Fair Exchange'". The New York Times. p. 65. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Hyatt, Wesley (October 6, 2015). Short-Lived Television Series, 1948-1978: Thirty Years of More Than 1,000 Flops. McFarland. p. 126. ISBN 978-1-4766-0515-9. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
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